All eyes on Kairana: Polling begins for bypolls to four LS, 10 Assembly seats

New Delhi, Polling process has begun on Monday for by-elections to four Lok Sabha seats, including much talked about Kairana in Uttar Pradesh and the lone parliamentary constituency in Nagaland. Bypolls are also being held in 10 assembly constituencies spread over 10 states, according to official sources.

Lok Sabha seats where bypolls are being held also include Palghar and Bhandara-Gondiya in Maharashtra besides Kairana and in Nagaland. The by-election for Nagaland seat was necessitated after the state chief minister, Neiphiu Rio, resigned as a Lok Sabha member in February. The tenure of the current 16th Lok Sabha will end in May 2019.

The bypoll is a straight contest between ruling PDA candidate Tokheho Yepthomi and opposition NPF nominee C Apok Jamir. Son of Congress veteran S C Jamir, Mr Apok was also Rajya Sabha MP between 1998 and 2004. There are 12 candidates in the Kairana Parliamentary constituency.

The Kairana bypoll has been necessitated following the death of BJP MP Hukum Singh in February. Hdaughter Mriganka is now contesting on BJP ticket while RLD nominee Tabassum Hasan has been extended support by the BSP, SP and Congress.

Kairana parliamentary constituency has five assembly segments — Shamli, Thana Bhawan and Kairana in Shamli district, and Gangoh and Nakur in Saharanpur district.

The Kairana bypoll is being much important as BJP recently lost Gorakhpur and Phoolpur by-elections.

Assembly constituencies where bypolls being held are Noorpur in Uttar Pradesh, Shahkot in Punjab, Jokihat in Bihar, Gomia and Silli in Jharkhand, Chengannur in Kerala, Palus Kadegaon in Maharashtra, Ampati in Meghalaya, Tharali in Uttarakhand and Maheshtala in West Bengal.

In Ampati elections in NDA-ruled Meghalaya, the Congress has fielded former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma’s daughter Miani D Shira.By-election for Ampati has been necessitated after Mukul Sangma resigned the seat.

In February elections, he had won from two seats – Ampati and Songsak. Counting of votes for all these bypolls will be taken up on Thursday.